MAY 16, 2014
SUNSET OFF ARUBA |
Sunday the sun rose over the water and about mid morning we were joined by a pod of what appeared to be Melon headed whale . They didn't ride the bow waves but rode the swells beside the boat in a rows of 8 to 10 and appeared to be on the hunt. The winds were steady at 20 to 25, skies partly cloudy. With following seas it has been a bumpy ride and makes you very unsteady on your feet. Things rattle in the cabinets and anything not secured well is in the floor below. Little by little we are getting things under control. Night fell and the moon lit up the sky.
MELON HEADED WHALE |
Monday we have finally begun to settle into the rhythm of the boat. Today we rounded
Punta Gallinas also known as Cape Chicken, the northern most point in South America. Later in the day we had our first sighting of Colombia on the horizon, a big accomplishment in our book. During the day watch is loose and we sleep when possible. I was asleep this morning and Rod had pilot whales off the port side. Life is not boring while underway. The winds were steady 25 to 30, we sailed under reefed jib and mizzen. The radar shows rain squalls and we are sometimes successful in dodging the worst of them. We have a current going with us about at 1 knot and are averaging over 6 knots. As night fell the wind held steady with gusts of 35+ knots and the moon was full in between the clouds. The swells and waves were 8 to 10 feet.
PILOT WHALES |
Tuesday and the days seem to run together, traffic is increasing. The wind is back down a bit 20 to 25 knots and the seas have settled down. Today a small pod of Spinner dolphin joined us to play in our bow wake. Huge container ships show up on radar about 20 miles out and on AIS at 8 to 10 miles. We often change course in order to maneuver safely between or around them as they pound past us in the black night at 12 to 19 knots.
Wednesday dawned hazy with light winds 15 to 20. We are past ready for this passage to end. With confused seas and heavy traffic sleep has been hard to come by. About 10:30 we turned past the first buoy into the channel to Cartagena, Colombia. From the looks of it we could be coming into Miami, the high rise buildings of the city crowds the shore line. The bay is very large and the anchorage in front of Club Nautico sits very near a huge shipping dock. We wind our way around the anchorage looking for a spot with the depth less than 35ft. It was just about noon when we dropped our anchor, It's Perfect in Colombia, South America. Time for a drink to celebrate our arrival and a much needed hot shower and a nap. Life is good here in Cartagena.
WOW You were rock'n. Glad you're safe and sound. Enjoy South America. Kent
ReplyDeleteSounds like a nice passage. Where to next?
ReplyDeleteCaptain Dave
Second star to the right and straight on till morning. Not sure how long we will be here, family from the states will be here in 2 weeks. How is the boat coming?
ReplyDeleteSlow....I've been in sailing instructor training followed by Coast Guard captains school; Done with all that now so i hope to have her sailing soon
ReplyDeletePriorities are self evident.
ReplyDelete